University of North Texas Media Arts Chair Eugene Martin will be screening his feature film “Marisol” at Denton’s Thin Line Film Fest Feb. 17-21. The film was funded by foundation grants and is sponsored by the Austin Film Society. UNT Assistant Professor of Voice and Acting Sally Vahle co-stars in the film.

“Marisol tells the story of three women who are affected by immigration in Texas,” said Eugene Martin, chair of the department of media arts. “The story of Marisol, a young college age Mexican woman in North Texas, is inspired by the real life stories of young people who uncover their family secret that they are, in fact, living in the U.S. without legal documents. The film was shot in Denton, Garland, and on the UNT campus.”

Martin has long ties to the Thin Line Film Fest and can speak to its benefits.

“Thin Line has helped raise the profile of the work of students and faculty from the Department of Media Arts since its inception,” Martin said.

Vahle is excited to be a part of the film and looking forward to viewing the footage for the first time at the festival. She says working with Martin was very cohesive and allowed for a lot of input from actors.

“It was an exciting, organic, improvisational experience from an acting standpoint,” Vahle said. “It’s not often that way. He thinks and works very outside of the box in a good way. We were allowed to be highly involved in the creation of dialogue and able to explore our characters.”